Screw-driver.



W. N. TITUs, JR.

SCREW DRIVER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEa, 1911-.

Patented June 3,1913.

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SCREW-DRIVER.

i ,ocaeoa .To all whom it may concern Bo it known that. l, ViLLiAM N. Tiros, Jr., a citizenl ofthe United States, and resident of lVatei-towii, county of Middlesex, State of lvlassaehusetts, have i1iveiitedai1 Improvement iii Screw-Drivers, of4 which the following description, in connection with the-accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts. 'v

.ln the manipulation of screws and screw bolts, particulai'ly machine sci'ews, itis often desirable in withdrawing the screw from a place where it cannot be easilyY reached 'by the hand, and for insert-ing screws in incoiivenient places, to have the'screw or screw bolt held by the screw driver which is t0 turn it into place. Various implements have been devised for this purpose, but theseA have either been constructed to grasp the `outside of the scrc'wlicad and hence not applicable t`o allshapes of head and of unywieldly size, or else they have not been --adapted to firmly grip the screw. My iiivention provides a device adapted to attain the desired end by gripping the sides of the screwliead kerf by a wedging or camming member, preferably provided wit-h teeth or serrations tobiter into the stock of the head and hold the same with great force so that the screw` bolt may bestrongly held to the screw dri-verfor removal or insertion as the case may be,

The invntion will be better understood from the following l'detailcd description, taken in connection'with the accompanying drawings, and will thereafter .be pointed out inthe appended claims. `Figure 1 j is a central vvertical section throughthe device.4 Fig. 2 is a transverse section Von line 2,` 2 ofFig; 1. Fig. 3' is an enlarged .detaillpartly in section of the operative-end of the device, and Fig. .4 is a.4

' transverse section on line 1,4 of Fig. 3.

A tubular member 1,0 has lixed thereto a bitend* formed with aroundhole 12 lengthwise therethrough which'divides the bit into twoprongs 13 with a space 14 between them. Fitted through the 'hole 12 is a gripper'piece l15 havingits end projecting into the s )ace -betweenfthe bit prongs 13-ot' a fiattened contour, "shown as elliptical at 16.5

l The portion 16 is of a thickness'about the same, orslightly less, than that of thebit Specification of vLetters Patient. Application led June 3, 1911. S-eria1No.`631,161.

' bolts 35.

Patented June 3, 1913.

vided Awith serra-tions or teeth'l'? adapted to bite into the sides of the screw boltl kerf, as shown in Fig. 3, when turned axially. The piece is lprovided at its't'opivith a head 1Sv providing an annular shoulder 19 adapted to rest. and have bearing on an inwardly extending .shoulder 20 on the part 11. vThis head 1S has a Vsocket 21 adapted to interi'it -with a tongue 22 on the end of a turning rod 23 which extends through the tubular member 10 and through the handle of the device with its other end fit-ted to a remov`r Vable bearing 24 in the end of the handle.

The 4tubular member 10 has fixed to its upper end a sleeve holder 25 as by means of a clamp screw 2G. This sleeve holder is provided with inwardly extending serrations or gripping portions 27 to firmly hold a haiidie 28 which is preferably of wood or liber and adapted to 'be driven tlierein. The rod 23 has aii operating member, shown as a stiff wire 29 lixedthrough a transverse aperture on the rod.- This wire has slidably fitted thereon a knob 30, a spring 31 being housed in a recess of the knob an'd'reacting against a. head 32 on the wire 29 to press a tooth 33 cn the/knob into engagement with ratchet teeth 34 on a curved slotted plate fixed over an arcuate slot in the sleeve /25 by screw The handle 28 may have a portion cut out as shown at 36 to permit the operation of the wire 29, and the knob has a `stabbed down portion 37 guidediin the arcuate slot of the sleeve 25. The Wire 29 is titted in the rod 23 so as to be removable, and

drop out so that new gripper pieces can be easily inserted to replace broken or worn out ones whenever` desired.` An aperture 38 may be 'formed through the .handle 28.and sleeve 25 in alinement with the wire 29. in one position'to facilitate insertiomand removal thereof. y .l

TheA device may" be used as an ordinary screw driver' having noparts to interfere with its use for this purposethere being no f element of the' gripping attachment in evi dence, except the small knob 3 0; the gripping'portion 16 lying flatwise iii alinementr 'Y with the bit prongs', the bit can be inserted yin any screw bolt kerf which the bit will lit,

and operated in the usual mannen When it is desired to use the device itorv gripping screw bolts for removal or msertlon, the blt is inserted in the kerf as usual, and the'knob 30 turned so as to cant the gripping portion 16and cause its teeth 17 to bite into the sides of'the kerf, thus firmly gripping the.

screw driver to the screw bolt head. The wire`29 is preferably of stili:l spring stock, such as piano wire 'and hence the knob 30 can be pushed so as to engage over a ratchet tooth '34' in position to cause a cons'tnt torque to be exerted on the gripping portion 16 by reason of the spring action ofthe wire 29. AThis is an important feature in practice, Isince it insures that the tight hold of the teeth against the walls of the kerf will be` retained in the operation of the screw driver on the screw bolt, and this hold -not be loosened by any relative working between the screw bolt Vand screw drivr/ in operation.

A further important point is that the several parts of the gripping device are housed within the implement, leaving no exterior projecting parts in the way, or liable to beA broken.V

HavingV described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byv Let- -ters Patent is:

l. A screw driver, comprising a bit, a

l handle, and-means mounted to turn about the axis of thescrew driver independently of the bit 'for gripping the walls of a kerf.

2. A screwdriver, comprising a bit, a handle, and a turning member mounted to turn about the axisof the screwdriver independently of the bit for gripping the walls of a kerf,ihavi'ng va laterally extending operating device.A

3. A screw driver, comprising a bit, a

I handle, a turning device mounted to turn about the axis of the screw driver independently of the bit for gripping the walls of af kerf, provided Wit-h a laterally extending operating device, and meansfor locking said devicein position to hold the grip- .ker

ping device gripped against the walls Vof a 4. A'sci'ewA driver, comprising ac bit, a

handle, a device mounted to turn. about the axis -of. the screw driver independently o i the bit for gripping the walls of'a kerf, operating means for said device having provisionto lock said device in kerf grlpping position, said operating means being'formed flattened projection provided'with gripping teeth disposed between 7. A screw driver, comprising a handle, a

prongs of the bit,` and means for turning sald gripping device.

bit having an opening therethrough axial of the tool, a kerf-gripping device mounted to turn about the screw driver axis in said opening independently of the bit, said device consisting of a wedging member having a transverse dimension in one' direction somewhat .greaterthan the thickness' of the bit and in another directionnotgreater than said thickness, and means for turning said gripping device.- l

' In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.A J l wniLIAM N.TITUs, JR. Witnesses: l i' A i f HARRY E. HALL,

. C. L. Roanne. 

